CARD: Pro Set 1993 ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home SENT: 4/11/22 RECEIVED: 7/5/22 (85 days)
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Ben Coates played TE at Livingstone College from 1987-’90.
He had 103 receptions for 1,268 yards and 18 touchdowns over his college career.
5th round pick of the New England Patriots in 1991.
Career took off in 1993 with the arrival of rookie Drew Bledsoe.
Caught 53 passes for 659 yards and 8 TDs that season.
In 1994 had a career high 96 receptions for 1174 yards and 7 TDs.
And in 1995 had another 84 catches for 915 yards and 6 TDs.
Had a career high 9 TD receptions on 62 receptions in 1996.
Coates then had two back to back 65+ catch seasons in ’97 and ’98.
After a subpar 1999- Ben played one final season in Baltimore.
Returned to his alma mater as a coach for Livingstone College from 2000-’04.
From there he hopped over to the NFLE working with the Frankfurt Galaxy’s TEs that year.
Worked with Browns TEs from ’05-’07.
Assistant head coach and OC for Central State from 2009-’12.
And then Saint Augustine’s from 2013-’14.
ACCOLADES:
All Pro 1994, ’95, ’98
NFL All-Decade Team 1990’s
Pro Bowl 1994-’98
Black College Football Hall of Fame
Patriots Hall of Fame
Patriots 50th Anniversary Team
Patriots All-90’s team
NOTES:
Ugh! Ben was so gracious to me. I accidentally sent him I think a card of Daniel Graham too! He was kind enough to sign this one and put a note on the other letting me know that it wasn’t him. Not my finest moment.
Coates gets little traction outside of the AFC East and the Patriots for Hall of Fame consideration. He’s got a lot of great skills to do it all and was considered the freak of his day at the position. Greatly overshadowed by Shannon Sharpe out of Denver, Coates could block and catch with ease.
He really should be in the HoF. At the time of his retirement Ben was ranked 4th in receptions among tight ends trailing only Ozzie Newsome, Shannon Sharpe, and Kellen Winslow.
I caught a small window that Colt was signing in and got him on these three cards. The Icons was the only real set need. The rest were just gravy on top. In fact I accidentally got him again on his Panini 2016 UT card too.
INSCRIPTION:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,”.
Marc Trestman is considered one of football’s great minds when it comes to QB whispering as he has played a hand in many a great QB’s ascensions or been on the coaching staff as of their rise.
After being unable to wrest the starting QB job at Minnesota, Marc Trestman transferred to Minnesota State University-Moorhead.
Unsigned, he spent camp with the Vikings in ’79 and ’80 as a defensive back but didn’t crack the lineup.
He began his college coaching career at Miami (FL) in 1981, and by ’83 was serving as the team’s QB coach.
Then in 1985, Trestman embarked on a series of stops as a positional coach and offensive coordinator in the NFL (Vikings, Browns, 49ers, Lions, Cardinals, Raiders, and Dolphins).
After a brief stop at NC State in 2005-’06, Trestman returned to the NFL as a consultant with the New Orleans Saints in 2007.
It’d be in late 2007 that Marc really carved out a name for himself as he was hired as HC of the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL.
Paired with GM Jim Popp, Marc’s Alouette teams won back to back CFL Grey Cups in 2009 and 2010.
By 2012, Trestman was garnering NFL attention, and in 2013 he was hired as the Chicago Bears head coach.
Trestman was the first coach since Bud Grant to jump from the CFL to the NFL.
He’d finish his rookie head coaching season 8-8 as the Bears would break multiple offensive team records.
Unfortunately he’d not see the same success in 2014, as the team slid to 5-11.
After a stop in Baltimore as their OC in 205/’16, Marc returned to the CFL where he had the most success.
Reunited with Jim Popp – this time in Toronto, where the Argos pulled off a worst to first, winning the Great Cup in 2017.
He’d be fired after the 2018 season.
Marc hopped on over to the XFL 2020, where he coached the Tampa Bay Vipers to a 1-4 record before COVID took down the league.
After a long hiatus, Trestman was hired by Jim Harbaugh to be an assistant with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024.
ACCOLADES:
CFL Coach of the Year 2009, ’17
NOTES:
I was interested in learning more about Marc and I thought the best way to do so was to see his offensive mind at work, so I asked him to diagram up a play with his autograph. He. Did. Not. Instead I got a note, which I thought was a bit snarky, wishing me luck with whatever I do with the autograph, or something like that. Okay dude.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
